Lot 158
WILLIAM EWART LOCKHART R.S.A., A.R.W.S., R.S.W., R.E. (SCOTTISH 1846-1900)
THE CID AND THE FIVE MOORISH KINGS
Auction: 23 June 2026 from 10:00 BST
Description
oil on canvas
Dimensions
25.5cm x 46cm (10in x 18in)
Footnote
This is likely a study for a larger version of the painting which is held in the permanent collection at The Royal Scottish Academy.
The painting portrays the eleventh-century Castilian hero Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar (c.1013–1099), widely known as El Cid Campeador. His life was first recorded in the mid-twelfth-century epic poem Cantar del Mio Cid, which recounts his conquest of the Muslim stronghold of Valencia and his battles against North African warriors. Over time, various poems and ballads about El Cid were composed. In 1823, the Scottish scholar John Gibson Lockhart translated several Spanish ballads, including The Lay of El Cid. It is likely that William Ewart Lockhart drew inspiration from these translations. The painting depicts the moment when El Cid captures Valencia from the Moors.